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Summary: A World of Wisdom
Review: I have worked with this particular tarot deck for over five years, professionally, and have found that it's insights, teachings and unique view of life, love and learning offer real assistance to both reader and querent. It has a wonderfully warm and humourous quality often lacking in other Tarot decks and it's wonderful, spiritually uplifting and descriptive illustration render it immediately user friendly and, I have found, captures both the attention and immagination of the person receiving the reading. All in all, one of the best tarot decks available - and as far as I am concerened as a tarot reader, the only deck worth working with.
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Summary: Lovely to look at, delightful to read
Review: This is one of the easiest decks to connect with and remember meanings. It would be wonderful for meditation alone, but it can be used for tarot counseling as well. The artwork is stunning. It does have a major arcana which includes "Thunderbolt", akin to the Tower card. The "quickie" past life spread is accurate, too, as are the others included in the companion book. No, you won't be a Zen master by the time you're done, but it's adeck that stays balanced no matter howunfocused the client is.
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Summary: Different Opinion
Review: All old traditions,Zen,Buddhism and many others have been rebellions agains traditional systems at their time. They all have been the beginning of something new. History has turned them by and by again into old traditions, which have not much to say to us today. This Osho Zen Tarot speaks to you, as a human being of today. It does not claim to teach you old encient wisdom. With this tarot deck you will find a mirrow for your own inner world. The cards you pull reflect your own being of this moment. I can recomend the tarot to everybody. Every little quote from Osho is a reminder who we are.
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Summary: one *may* gain great insight to oneself
Review: first, the book itself, i felt, is terribly 'westernized': turning the basic eastern philosophy into nothing more than simple 'inspirational' statements for one to use. that is *not* what the Osho Zen is. Osho zen really is nothing more than the philosophy of zen, which includes Indian, Chinese, and Japanese Budhism. one cannot possible gain practical knowledge of zen budhism through this book. for its history and (cultural) practice, one must look elsewhere other than Osho Zen.
secondly, the tarot deck itself is wonderful, for one *may* gain better understanding of the self *through* the (very) general concepts of Zen Budhism. but to 'gain that knowledge' of self, one must find it through the cards, not from it. this is not about following (yet another) religious system or social sytem. Budhism is not about following (passively or assertively) 'another system', but finding nature's balance within the person. (And that would entail years of shedding one's own identity completely!)
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Summary: The Powers of Zen Revealed
Review: When I first started tarot reading I was shown a Rider-Waite deck. I was told to go and pick a deck of my own based on the "vibes" I got from the deck. Not pictures or meanings, just feelings from the actual deck. I picked this deck from many others. I have made friends cry because of how deep these cards can go to the heart of the matter. I loved how easy the book was to use and how lovingly it was written. The art work on the cards puts everyone in awe. They help to give you inner meaning to real problems we face. They also help to see how we can change these problems and make our lives better, by first focusing on our inner spirit and outlook. Unlike other decks I have read from, the Osho Zen deck challenges you to see your problems as your own, and they act as a loving guide to change your view of yourself in the world, and then, through an inner acceptance of yourself, to change how you interact in the world. This deck really means a lot to me and my closed friends. I really recommend it to any beginner, and especially for those who are looking for a deeper meaning and better understanding of life's experiences.
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Summary: Insightful, GORGEOUS deck
Review: I've never bought into the "divination" description of Tarot cards. Instead I've always thought Tarot cards were better suited as tools to lend insight into current situations. The Osho Zen deck is perfect for this task. I have been searching for the *perfect* Tarot deck for myself for years. I've always been uncomfortable with the traditional Rider-Waite symbolism, and always thought many decks (Rider-Waite or not) were unattractive. I've never been compelled to pull any of my decks out and consult them more than once in a blue moon. There are a few decks I've found along the way I like- the Connolly deck was an early favorite, with its bright and luminous illustrations and positive descriptions, and an I-Ching deck I was given for Christmas. But no deck I have ever seen or touched has been as beautiful as the Osho Zen. First and foremost, the illustrations blew me away. I just can't describe how beautiful they are. I went through the entire deck and and spent an hour "ooohhh"ing and "ahhh"ing over the cards. I have never seen anything quite like these cards. Their representations as well as the feel of the cards really makes me want to take the deck out and shuffle through them and read about every card. I have never felt that way about a deck before. It's so inspiring. Although many people claim its a deck strictly for dealing with the "here and now", I disagree. In the past few days I have done several readings with the deck for insight on my own situation and have found the deck to be very helpful. The cards are *not* vague, but not entirely specific, so it allows the user to apply the meanings to their own lives. The cost of these cards is slightly higher than most other decks, and the caption describing the deck as a "game" may prevent certain people from buying this deck- it did for me. But what a mistake that was. If you are drawn to the illustrations on the box/cover, purchase this deck. There is something very special about it. It puts other decks to shame. Thanks, Mom, for getting this for me for my birthday!
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Summary: An offbeat and highly intuitive deck.
Review: As soon as I unwrapped and shuffled this set, I did a "Celtic Cross" reading and was pretty amazed. For this first quickie "out of the box" reading, and without having read any of the commentary on the individual cards, I was gifted with a very insightful reading on my general situation at the time. It took all of five minutes. Very intuitive indeed! The card symbolism is fresh but the artwork is, for me at least, a bit variable in quality. As far as general "feel" goes, I can only gauge by the other decks I've tried, which aren't many. The readings do seem "softer" than my work with the Rider-Waite deck -- which seems to take a pretty clear-eyed, hard-edged view of things -- and certainly less dramatic than my William Blake deck. But while perhaps somewhat softer in atmosphere and feel than many decks, Osho Zen Tarot doesn't gloss over the hard questions. I receive quieter but still tough responses from these cards, if the situation demands it. Given its intuitiveness and "measured" feel, this deck seems especially suited for my daily one-card reading. Other decks may have a bit more depth to them in terms of symbolic complexity and intellectual appeal, but this isn't Tarot Lite by any means. I'm probably going to save my "bigger" inquiries for other decks, but as a quick and refreshing start to your day, I think Osho Zen Tarot would be hard to beat.
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Summary: Provides Clarity in a Crazy World
Review: I've picked up the Zen Tarot numerous times in the last few years, mainly to understand what is going on in my life, what attitude would serve me when confronted with unknown situations and unpredictable people ...
I was first exposed to it in a virtual Dream Work class where we conclude every dream with a "reading" from Osho (or Rumi). What I most appreciate is the clarity and humor in this guidance. I've laughed a lot and always recognized ego's expressions in the material world. Anyone ready to grow and change will tremendously benefit from this. The illustrations by Ma Deva Padma are simply divine. Enjoy.
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Summary: Just Breath
Review: I really do love this deck. It is transcendent, that is the word to describe it. There is nothing manipulative, mysterious, or contradicting about this deck. It's uplifting and profoundly accurate. When I'm finished reading with this deck I always feel as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. It's as if I've been in the presence of a very wise, compassionate, old sage. He peers into my heart and mind, understanding me at once, and with a gentle sense of humor gives me the plain and simple truth. It's impossible to describe the sense of peace and positive energy that radiates from this deck. It really does renew my faith in myself and a higher power.
I almost gave this deck four stars but went for five just because of how wonderful and helpful this deck has been to me. Why? Well, I suppose just for superficial reasons. The packaging and presentation seems cheap for the beauty of the cards, and I'm not fond of the numbering system used on the cards (colored coded triangles instead of suites). However, I feel the benefits of this deck far outweigh these small peeves of mine, and really it deserves five stars, plus.
This deck is honest, yet compassionate. Spiritual, yet sound. A superb deck for anyone of any background or belief system. Very easy to use. I highly, highly reccomend it.
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Summary: Why this compromise?
Review: I've just received the deck I bought in Amazon. It is so beautiful. But it is not a real tarot deck, in spite of having been massively based on the Waite deck, and having the same number and arrange of cards of a tarot deck. This is the point: why that compromise, making a deck conforming to almost all tarot standards, and basing it on the Waite deck, but going so far away from those standards in some specific cards, such as that of "No-thingness"? Being almost a tarot deck creates some expectations which are not fulfilled. Well, maybe I'm a bit too critical; this is the first modern non-conventional deck I analyze. It is really beautiful, and the booklet which comes with the deck is very interesting and inspiring - by the way, I really like Zen Buddhism and other Oriental traditions, that's why I bought this deck. I've not used it for divination by now, and if it works (I think it does), it needs no justifications for its differences from the tarot standards, in spite of not fulfilling all the expectations of enlightening the study of tarot cards by means of comparison.
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